Transcript Slide 1

BeeSpace Education Research
Chip Bruce
Library and Information Science, UIUC
Susan Fahrbach
Biology, Wake Forest University
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu
Unpacking the Puzzle
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu
Integrative Learning
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"connecting skills and knowledge from multiple sources and
experiences; applying skills and practices in various settings;
utilizing diverse and even contradictory points of view; and,
understanding issues and positions contextually." Huber,
Hutchings, & Gale, Integrative Learning for Liberal
Education (2005)
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"Relate the school to life, and all studies are of necessity
correlated." John Dewey, The School and Society (1900)
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No "gap in kind (as distinct from degree) between the child's
experience and the various forms of subject-matter." Dewey, The
Child and Curriculum (1902)
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu
Education Resources
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Bee Biology
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Bee Research
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Video: caring for the BeeSpace bees (K. Pruiett)
‘Anatomy of a BeeSpace Experiment’ (D. Stone)
Videos: researchers at work (M. Sarma, A. Boardmann, S. Liang, R. Velarde)
Bees In the Classroom
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Video tour of Bee Lab
Links to Honey Bee Genome materials
BeeSpace Research (molecular basis of social behaviors)
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Booklet by high school biology teacher (D. Stone)
Video of talk by G. Robinson, with question set
Video footage of bee behaviors
‘Bioinformatics for Beginners’ freshman seminar (S. Fahrbach)
Middle school visits with bee researchers (G. Robinson, N. Ismail)
Video: teacher education activities with bees (S. Fahrbach)
Software Support
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Training for researchers using BeeSpace software – in-house, lab visits, online help
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu
‘Bioinformatics for Beginners’ @WFU
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First-year seminar taught by S. Fahrbach in Fall 2006
Classes 1x/wk. for 150 minutes
 Students introduced to bioinformatics via “nature vs. nurture”
issue and BeeSpace Navigator
 Students build skills and display mastery by developing new
BeeSpace educational materials for younger students
Special features
 Session with science librarian to create online resource page
 Field trip to research apiary
 Videoconference with Bruce Schatz
 Access to online BeeSpace educational resources
 Use of NCBI tools and resources
 Presentation of final projects to BeeSpace PI’s via teleconference
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu
B4B@WFU Student Projects
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Projects were required to conform to the North
Carolina Standard Course of Study.
Projects required a “deliverable” for use in the
classroom and an accompanying teacher’s
manual.
Materials are ready for use Summer 2007, and
will be broadly accessible via the BeeSpace
website.
Students created: a board game (BeeLand), a
Jeopardy game, a web site, several PowerPoint
presentations, and rules for a game to be played
outdoors.
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu
Successes/Challenges of B4B@WFU
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Introduced to bioinformatics concepts, challenges of effective
search, modern formulations of nature/nurture in human behavior
Embraced learning-by-teaching, worked effectively in groups to
complete projects
Interacted directly with researchers
Proved resistant to idea of gene x environment interactions
Sometimes distracted by minor technical glitches (delays getting
BLAST results, printer failures, videoconferencing problems)
Busy student schedules and low proportion of intended science
majors precluded student transition to active participation in
outreach
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu
Next Steps
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BeeSpace summer education meeting June 14 – visitors welcome
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Additional education resources coming to project website
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Summer intensive for small group of early high schoolers coming in
early August, to explore and model BeeSpace research through
learner-led inquiry – planning 20 hours of instruction for 6-8 students
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Assessing outcomes and challenges of connecting middle schoolage through undergraduate learners with leading-edge research
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First-Year Seminar at Wake Forest to be offered again in Fall 2007
and Fall 2008 – BeeSpace volunteers are needed for
videoconferences in Fall 2007
Third Annual BeeSpace Workshop, May 21-22, 2007
www.beespace.uiuc.edu